Dover String Quartet Returns to Music Mountain, 7/13

Music Mountain, American's oldest continuing chamber music festival, continues its 85th Anniversary Season with a weekend of returning favorite artists. The ever-popular Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks return to Gordon Hall on Saturday, July 12 (6:30PM) with a special pre-concert dinner at The Falls Village Inn (5PM), followed by the remarkable Dover String Quartet, with guest artist Jonathan Yates, piano on Sunday, July 13 (3PM) offering an impressive program new to Music Mountain. In the tradition of bringing live music to new audiences, Music Mountain continues the long tradition of inviting a diverse pool of talent to Falls Village each season. Concerts are scheduled thru September 14.

Back for their fourth consecutive year, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks return with sounds from the golden age, playing the best of big-band jazz in the style of the '20s and '30s. The Grammy Award Winning band of the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire maintains an active and busy schedule performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing, along with weekly engagements in Manhattan. The New York Times raved, "an erupting wellspring of Euphoria: That would describe the vintage swing emanating from Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks." The evening will also be host to a pre-concert Prohibition-themed dinner at the Falls Village Inn (5PM). Space is limited, reservations must be made by Friday, July 11. $60 ticket price includes dinner & performance. (The evening's performance is underwritten by Norman Fields.)

The Dover String Quartet returns with guest artist Jonathan Yates, piano performing Beethoven: String Quartet in D Major, Opus 18 # 3; Viktor Ullman: Quartet # 3; and Mozart: Piano Quartet in G Minor, K. 478. This will be the first time that Ullman's quartet will be played for Music Mountain audiences.

The Dover String Quartet is considered one of the most remarkably talented string quartets ever to emerge at such a young age. Their most recent achievement was at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition - where they won the Grand Prize, as well as all three Special Prizes: the R.S. Williams & Sons Haydn Prize for the best performance of Haydn, the Székely Prize for the best performance of Schubert, and the Canadian Commission Prize for the best performance of a newly commissioned work. In addition to their exceptional musicianship, the Dover String Quartet is an active member of Music for Food, an initiative by musicians to help fight hunger in their home communities. The ensemble has been named the first Quartet-in-Residence at the venerated Curtis Institute of Music.

Pianist Jonathan Yates has earned high praise as a conductor, solo pianist and collaborative artist. He made his professional orchestral conducting debut at 23 and a year later he made his Carnegie Hall debut. Mr. Yates has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras in North America, Europe and Asia and actively conducts in Manhattan, where he leads the Camerata Notturna. Mr Yates is the Music Director of the Norwalk Symphony and of the Norwalk Youth Orchestra. He is also the Musical Director, Designate, of Music Mountain, assuming that post for the 2015 season.

Music Mountain n is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, coffee, lemonade and water will be available for purchase.

Upcoming quartets scheduled to perform include Orion String Quartet with Peter Serkin, piano (July 20); Harlem String Quartet with Misha Dichter, piano (July 27); Penderecki String Quartet with Geoffrey Burleson, piano (August 3); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Ricardo Cavalcante de Oliveira, viola (August 10); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Michelle LaCourse, viola and Rhonda Rider, cello (August 17).The Saturday Evening Twilight Series will continue with Gunsmoke (July 19); Swingtime Big Band (July 26); The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (August 2); The Falcon Ridge Folk Music Festival (August 9); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 16).

Tickets for the mid-summer benefit concert on Sunday, July 20 with Peter Serkin and the Orion String Quartet are $60. Tickets for the End of Season Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, August 31 are $75 and include a voucher for one regularly priced concert in 2015.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Pre-concert dinner & concert: $60. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder (Music Mountain gratefully acknowledges children admission support by the Hellen Plummer Foundation for a gift in memory of James Merrill, Connecticut's first Poet Laureate). Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

Pictured: Bryan A. Lee, violin; Camden Shaw, cello; Joel Link, violin; & Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola. Photo by Al Torres.